


i begged the time to slow

by wlwrwby



Category: RWBY
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Team RNJR - Freeform, Team as Family, implied canonical character death, no beta we die like redheads in rwby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26979889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wlwrwby/pseuds/wlwrwby
Summary: A young Ren and Nora once met Summer Rose. She spoke of her daughters and how she would return to them, as soon as she was done with something.Years later, they meet Ruby Rose. She looks familiar.
Relationships: Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie and Summer Rose, Lie Ren and Ruby Rose, Nora Valkyrie and Ruby Rose
Comments: 2
Kudos: 66





	i begged the time to slow

**Author's Note:**

> TW for implied character death for Summer!

Ren and Nora had seen more in their seven years than most people did in their entire lifetimes. Little did they know, life would continue its pattern of not being so kind. 

They had decided to make their way to Vale after the destruction of Kuroyuri, and with it, all Ren had ever known and Nora’s latest safe haven. Ren knew that the biggest Huntsman academy was there, and where there were Huntsmen there were people who would help them. His father had taught him that. Surely someone would help two orphans. 

It was there that they met Summer Rose. They were exhausted after months on the road by themselves, dirty and malnourished. It was really no wonder that Summer dropped everything to help them. 

“Darlings? Are you lost? Do you need help?” 

Ren and Nora looked up at the kind voice, seeing Summer Rose for the first time as she abandoned whatever she had been doing to come to their side and crouch to their level. 

The first thing they noticed about the woman was her silver eyes. In them, they could see their reflection for the first time in months. She was petite, but her personality seemed to make up for her lack in altitude. Her face was kind and gentle, a welcome difference from the hardships they had endured on their journey. After sharing a glance with Nora, Ren spoke, his accent still relatively strong. 

“We are fine, ma’am. We are traveling on our own.” 

A flash of worry crossed Summer’s face before she covered it once more with kindness. She had seen her share of orphans in her line of work, and these two children seemed similar enough to those she had encountered in the past that she felt it was safe enough to add them to her mental list of those she’d met. 

“Ah. Well my name’s Summer Rose, I’m a huntress. What are your names?” 

Nora, who with the help of Ren had come out of her shell quite a bit, was the first to respond. 

“I’m Nora!” 

Ren bowed, hiding his smile from Nora’s response. He was glad to see how far she had come. And throughout their time on the road, Ren had learned that Nora had a great sense of intuition. So if she trusted this stranger, he did too. 

“Lie Ren.” 

Summer smiled gently before standing and extending her hands for each of them to hold. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Now what do you say we go get some food and new clothes for you two?” 

* * *

Throughout their trip to the nearest town for food and clothes, they all learned a bit more about each other. Summer told them stories of her work as a Huntress, much to Ren and Nora’s delight. They perked up, showering her in their hopes of becoming Huntsmen when they were grown up. 

Summer’s eyes lit up. But there was something deeper within, something that even Ren and Nora couldn’t decipher despite the horrors they had faced. 

“You remind me of my girls. Something tells me you’d be great friends.” 

After a few hours of shopping and stories, Summer gave them directions to Vale with their bellies and bags full of food for the road. She sent them on their way with a map and a letter for Professor Ozpin. 

“Now when you get to Vale, look for signs to Beacon Academy. When you get there, ask for Professor Ozpin and tell them Summer Rose sent you. Give the letter to him, and he’ll help you out, alright? And if you need someone to help you along the way, look for a Huntsman or Huntress or someone with children.” 

Ren and Nora nodded, but were reluctant to leave their newfound friend. Nora spoke up, ever curious. 

“Where are you going? Why can’t you come with us?” 

Summer knelt down to place her hands on their shoulders. Her eyes filled with emotion again, but this time Ren and Nora were able to place it. Sadness, regret, fear. Determination. 

Her voice was shaky. “I have to do something first. Then I’ll go back home.” 

With a warm hug and a promise to keep safe, they parted ways. Ren and Nora began their journey to a new beginning. 

A single tear rolled down Summer’s face. She put her hood up and began her journey to her end. 

* * *

Ren and Nora didn’t quite know what to make of Ruby Rose. She was undoubtedly talented, having gotten into the best combat school in the world at 16 years old. She was kind and selfless and had an almost inhuman affinity for baked goods. 

And for some reason, from the moment they saw her, they both knew that she was familiar. Even though they knew for a fact that they had never met before. 

But they could also tell that there was much more to her than originally met the eye. When she thought others weren’t looking, she had a haunted look in her eyes. She was incredibly clingy, as if she was afraid that everyone might leave her at any given second. And she only spoke of her dad, never her mother- 

No. No way. 

But it could be - it was. She had the same face and smile, her voice just as sweet, her hair styled differently but was unmistakable nevertheless, the same surname. And her eyes. She had the same silver eyes. They saw their reflection in them, their faces older and wiser. 

There was one way to make sure. 

* * *

“Yang? Can we talk to you?” 

Yang, currently engaged in a video game battle with a significantly less enthusiastic Weiss, looked up at Ren’s query. She decided not to question it when she saw their expressions, and nodded before following them to their empty dorm room across the hall. 

They had decided that it would be better to talk to Yang rather than Ruby, not wanting to bring it up just to rub salt into the wound in case they were somehow wrong. 

Yang sat on Nora’s bed, her legs softly swinging as her face showed confusion. “Are...you guys okay? Is something wrong?”  


Nora shared a look with Ren before answering. She looked Yang in the eyes. 

“Was your mother a woman named Summer Rose?” 

The look in Yang’s eyes told them all they needed to know. 

* * *

It wasn’t until months later, in the aftermath of the Fall and the era of Team RNJR, that they told Ruby of their encounter with her mother. They had decided along with Yang that perhaps it was better to leave Ruby in the dark on this one, not wanting to trigger her obvious neglected trauma. 

It wasn’t like that this was the right time either - with all of them harbouring even more trauma than anyone should have in their lifetime, let alone at their age. But they wanted Ruby to know. She deserved to know everything about her mother that she could. 

They told her while they were seated around the campfire, told her of how Summer was part of the reason they were here even now, how she helped them get into Beacon. Ruby’s expression was remarkably stoic during the tale. But that night, when she thought everyone else was asleep, she cried. They all noticed it was even more than usual. 

No one slept well that night. 

* * *

When you’re travelling on the road with someone, it’s inevitable that you learn more about them than you ever expected to. The following things were noticed about Ruby by the rest of Team RNJR. 

She didn’t know how to read a map and had no real concept of time. She sneezed like a kitten. She was clumsy as could be outside of battle but a deadly, precise force when it was needed. She loved comics. 

She cried herself to sleep each night. She had nightmares almost daily. When she thought no one was looking, she let her smile slip and showed her true emotions. The death of her mother affected her more than she let on. She blamed herself for Pyrrha and Penny’s deaths. She missed her team more than anything. She was traumatized. 

She was only sixteen. 

They were all so young. 

* * *

At the Haven house after the battle, Ren and Nora went into a room together and emerged with a promise to do everything in their power to protect Ruby and Yang. Summer wasn’t there to do it anymore, and they were their friends whom they dearly loved. It was the least they could do. 

That night, with both reunited teams sleeping on mattresses pushed together on the floor so they could all be together, with Ruby curled up to Ren’s side and Nora half sprawled across Yang, Summer’s words came to them. 

_“You remind me of my girls. Something tells me you’d be great friends.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to drop a comment or kudos to make my day below, by all means feel free! You can also find me on twitter @wlwrwby if you would like to see me scream about RWBY on a daily basis. Once again, thank you so much for reading! It means the world to me. Have a lovely day<3


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